DALLAS — A pro wrestling company has released its 2024 spring lineup, and it includes new Von Erich family shirts.
SPLX Apparel (pronounced 'suplex,' like the wrestling move) partners with wrestlers to make clothing such as shirts, shorts and hats.
The new Von Erich themed shirts pay tribute to World Class Championship Wrestling, the DFW-based wrestling promotion company owned by the Von Erich patriarch, Fritz Von Erich, and its weekly shows held at the Dallas Sportatorium.
The shirts feature the family name in large letters, as well as "Every Friday Night!" below, and the Dallas Sportatorium and its address listed at the bottom. (Although if you went to that address today, you wouldn't find anything more than a grassy field. The historic venue was demolished in 2003, two years after it was damaged by a fire.)
This latest resurgence in Von Erich popularity comes after the release of the critically acclaimed film "The Iron Claw," which told the story of the rise and tragic fall of the Von Erich family, featuring the deaths of nearly all of Fritz Von Erich's sons, beloved by North Texans throughout the '80s at the height of wrestling's popularity in the region.
The Von Erichs also recently moved back to Texas, with the last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich, speaking in Dallas a few months ago. His sons, Ross and Marshall Von Erich, are wrestlers as well and have performed across the state, including in North Texas.
Another wrestler with a new shirt in the Spring lineup is legendary NWA Champion Harley Race, who wrestled the Von Erich brothers countless times throughout the '70s and '80s, and was also featured in "The Iron Claw."
